Not to be outdone, his vice president — the first Catholic Republican to ever hold the office — has joined the rhetorical offensive.

On Monday night, JD Vance appeared on Fox News and insisted that “it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality … and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.” Putting aside the fact that the president isn’t supposed to be “dictating” anything, the Ohio Republican’s advice didn’t make a lot of sense: The pope drew Trump’s ire by speaking out on matters such as a deadly and destabilizing war in the Middle East and the plight of immigrants seeking a better life, both of which are, by any reasonable measure, “matters of morality.”

A day later, he upped the ante in an unexpected way. NBC News reported:

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV should ‘be careful’ when he talks about theology, rebuking the pontiff over his criticisms of U.S. foreign policy.

Vance argued that the pope, who has said Jesus ‘is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,’ was failing to take into account conflicts such as World War II.

....Do Trump and Vance believe Leo will be intimidated into silence? Are they trying to send a signal to other religious leaders opposed to the war? Do they believe they can discredit the pontiff, who enjoys stronger public support than they do? Do the Republicans think they’ll appear “tough” by picking a fight with the Vatican? Is this all some sort of elaborate distraction campaign?

I won’t pretend to know their motivation, but if Trump and Vance see a political upside to their increasingly outlandish papal scoldings, they’re mistaken.